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1 – 10 of over 20000
Article
Publication date: 25 April 2022

Stewart Selase Hevi, Gifty Enyonam Ketemepi, Caroline Dorkoo and Akorfa Wuttor

This paper aims to investigate how community policing experience elicits public trust in the police, citizens’ psychological safety and community well-being in Ghana.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how community policing experience elicits public trust in the police, citizens’ psychological safety and community well-being in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

A cluster sampling technique was used in the selection of 474 community members, who answered questions relating to community policing experience, public trust in the police, citizens’ psychological safety and community well-being. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the relationships and effects of the hypothesized paths.

Findings

The findings showed that community policing experience was positively related to public trust in the police, citizens’ psychological safety and community well-being in Ghana.

Research limitations/implications

Mediation does not fall within the scope of the current study; hence, issues of indirect effects among the variables were not examined. Nevertheless, future studies should consider investigating the phenomenon through mediation analysis.

Practical implications

The study further highlights that probable negative consequences of divulging information to the police about potential or actual crime may hinder citizens from engaging with police. Hence, police administrators must find ways to conceal identities of whistle blowers on crime and its related issues, so they do not suffer any personal cost.

Originality/value

In this research, the academic scope of community policing was expanded by linking the concepts of public trust in police, citizens’ psychological safety and community well-being, which the study admits has been undertaken separately in empirical policing literature but not within the context of developing countries such as Ghana.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1999

John Riley

Questions the approaches used for evaluating the success of communitypolicing in the USA. Finds that reliance on crime and arrest statistics is not adequate. One of the new…

Abstract

Questions the approaches used for evaluating the success of communitypolicing in the USA. Finds that reliance on crime and arrest statistics is not adequate. One of the new measures “knowledge of organizational personnel”, is examined reporting on the interest in and acceptance of the communitypolicing philosophy among police officers working in a pilot programe in Anchorage, Alaska. Findings suggest that police officers took satisfaction in some aspects of the work but were frustrated and uncertain about others. Support for the programme is linked to three issues: desire for professional development, a desire for knowledge of area covered and an interest in creative and proactive problem solving.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2024

Vanessa Jesenia Gutiérrez and Daniel Lee

This study explored the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on rural municipal police in Pennsylvania.

Abstract

Purpose

This study explored the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on rural municipal police in Pennsylvania.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed rural police chiefs and sworn officers to inquire about their intra-department organizational capabilities, police-community relations, well-being practices, and how these strategies may have developed since March 2020.

Findings

The pandemic affected rural police officers and rural policing strategies in many ways. Moreover, existing challenges to limited rural police budgets were exacerbated suggesting a need for more flexible budgetary capacities, access to wellness resources were limited suggesting better access to these resources and preparation for responding to public health emergencies was limited suggesting more complete training is warranted.

Originality/value

This study draws attention to the unique experiences of rural municipal police across one state by capturing specific areas of concern throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2002

Joseph A. Schafer

Community policing has been the focus of considerable research attention and financial support in recent years. Despite extensive inquiry, there are still many unanswered issues…

1244

Abstract

Community policing has been the focus of considerable research attention and financial support in recent years. Despite extensive inquiry, there are still many unanswered issues surrounding this philosophy of policing. In addition, many studies of community policing have occurred in agencies which have specialized it as a program, rather than broadly generalizing it as a philosophy. This study seeks to overcome limitations in existing research by examining aspects of police attitudes toward community policing and testing the extent to which such attitudes are predicted by demographic and experiential variables. Data are drawn from a Midwestern police agency which was implementing generalized community policing. Results suggest that there is a distinction between global and specific perceptions, however different measures predict such attitudes. The implications of these findings for future research considering community policing attitudes among police officers are also discussed.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2021

Shawn Hill, Howard Giles and Edward R. Maguire

The purpose of this paper is to describe a theory-driven intervention called VOICES that was developed to improve police-community relations. The intervention was designed based…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a theory-driven intervention called VOICES that was developed to improve police-community relations. The intervention was designed based on principles derived from social psychological theories of intergroup contact and communication.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors discuss the theoretical basis for the intervention, as well as its development and implementation in the Santa Barbara Police Department. Based on this pilot testing, the authors provide preliminary evidence about its effectiveness using survey responses and qualitative feedback provided by participants.

Findings

Although the case study method used here does not allow for causal inferences about the effectiveness of the intervention, the limited evidence the authors present does suggest that participants found VOICES useful and it may have improved their perceptions of police. The next step will be to test this intervention using experimental or quasi-experimental methods that allow for causal inferences about effectiveness.

Originality/value

The paper shows how police can develop theory-driven interventions in an effort to improve trust between police and the public, including communities in which relationships with police have been historically strained. It also underscores how insights from the study of intergroup contact and communication can benefit policing.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 44 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 November 2014

Rick Ruddell, Savvas Lithopoulos and Nicholas A. Jones

The purpose of this paper is to compare the community level factors associated with police strength and operational costs in Aboriginal police services from four different…

3270

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the community level factors associated with police strength and operational costs in Aboriginal police services from four different geographic zones, including remote communities inaccessible by road[1].

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in per capita policing costs, the officer to resident ratio, an index of community well-being and crime severity in 236 rural and remote Canadian communities.

Findings

The authors found that places that were geographically inaccessible or further from urban areas had rates of police-reported crime several times the national average and low levels of community well-being. Consistent with those results, the per capita costs of policing were many times greater than the national average, in part due to higher officer to resident ratios.

Research limitations/implications

These results are from rural Canada and might not be generalizable to other nations.

Practical implications

Given the complex needs of these communities, these findings reinforce the importance of delivering full-time professional police services in rural and remote communities. Short duration or temporary postings may reduce police legitimacy as residents may perceive that their rural or Aboriginal status makes them less valued than city dwellers. As a result, agencies should prioritize the retention of experienced officers in these communities.

Originality/value

These findings validate the observations of officers about the challenges that must be overcome in policing these distinctive communities. This information can be used to inform future studies of rural and remote policing.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 37 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Danger in Police Culture
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-113-4

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2013

Sunghoon Roh, Dae‐Hoon Kwak and Eunyoung Kim

The purpose of this paper is to examine the complex constellation of underlying factors between community policing and fear of crime by embracing various exogenous variables…

1191

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the complex constellation of underlying factors between community policing and fear of crime by embracing various exogenous variables identified through accumulated empirical research. Another important purpose of the current study is to examine the association between community policing and fear of crime in the Korean context.

Design/methodology/approach

The data originated from a survey administrated by the Korean Institution of Criminology in the area of Seoul, South Korea, in an attempt to examine citizens’ fear of crime, perceptions of public safety and environment. Using a stratified sampling method, a total of 654 respondents were selected. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect relationships among exogenous and endogenous variables and to test the authors’ hypothesized structural model of the citizen's fear of crime.

Findings

The current study found that the four proposed models between community policing and fear of crime were not supported in the Korean context. Neither direct nor indirect relationships between community policing and fear of crime were statistically significant. On the other hand, community policing was found to be significantly and indirectly associated with perceived risk of crime; those who more perceived community policing activities felt a greater risk of crime. A logical explanation for these findings requires understanding of the characteristics of community policing practice and the unique crime environment in South Korea.

Originality/value

This study shows unique characteristics in the community policing‐fear of crime nexus in Korean society in relation to the implementation of community policing, the level of fear of crime and perception of community‐based crime control.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2008

John Liederbach, Eric J. Fritsch, David L. Carter and Andra Bannister

The purpose of this paper is to provide direct comparisons between the views of citizens and officers within a jurisdiction that has been largely influenced by the community

3060

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide direct comparisons between the views of citizens and officers within a jurisdiction that has been largely influenced by the community‐oriented policing movement. Comparisons between police and citizen views are specifically made in terms of: the relative importance of crime problems in the jurisdiction; the value of community policing programs; overall satisfaction with the performance of the department; and strategies designed to improve the performance of the department.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of the study is officer and citizen surveys.

Findings

Officers and citizens significantly differed in their assessment of the importance of specific crime problems in the jurisdiction, the value of community policing programs, the degree to which they were satisfied with the performance of the department, and their assessment of improvement strategies. These differences are discussed within the context of previous literature that has focused on the implementation and continued acceptance of community policing.

Research limitations/implications

Findings are derived from surveys conducted in one jurisdiction. Findings are limited to the degree that citizen/officer views within this jurisdiction differ from those found elsewhere.

Originality/value

The study utilizes seldom‐used concurrent surveys of officers and citizens within a single jurisdiction. The method allows for the direct comparison of police and citizen views. Thus, this paper provides evidence regarding the feasibility of collaboration between police and citizens, and the continued viability of community‐oriented strategies.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1999

Scott Lewis, Helen Rosenberg and Robert T. Sigler

Community policing has evolved from a set of programs to a conceptual framework describing one way that police services can be effectively delivered. As this approach has emerged…

2531

Abstract

Community policing has evolved from a set of programs to a conceptual framework describing one way that police services can be effectively delivered. As this approach has emerged, the level of evaluation of specific programs has been higher than has traditionally been the case. At the present time, program evaluations are becoming more sophisticated and focused. The study reported here was designed to measure the attitudes held by police officers toward community policing with a set of sub‐scales designed to measure different dimensions of the attitudinal construct. Findings are based on a survey of the population of police officers in Racine, Wisconsin, conducted in 1997.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

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